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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. present — there
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ground — a position
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. row — to paddle
  17. present — a gift
  18. can — a tin
  19. stand — to bear
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — a line

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