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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · stand · pop · chest · clip · last · mate · rash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chest — a box
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mate — to breed
  8. clip — for paper
  9. last — to go on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — finally
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pop — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — final
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com