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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a tool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stand — to bear
  9. file — a document
  10. cap — a hat
  11. present — the time now
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — a break
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bank — of a river
  20. present — there
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chest — of your body

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