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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mark — a trace
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fall — the season
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mark — to pay attention

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