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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stand — to bear
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. field — a subject
  18. bound — tied together
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bound — certain
  23. field — farmland
  24. foot — the bottom

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