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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cap — a lid
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. field — farmland
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cap — a hat

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