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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stand — to bear
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. race — a contest
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — a phone
  12. band — a ring
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lean — thin
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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