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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — a box
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — after costs
  13. object — a thing
  14. present — the time now
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. object — an aim
  17. stand — to bear
  18. branch — a division
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — a subject
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. present — a gift

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