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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stand — to bear
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cell — in biology
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. drill — the tool
  8. scale — in music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spring — of water
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — army training
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — the season

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