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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — farmland
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. field — for sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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