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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. field — farmland
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chest — a box
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. capital — money
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. field — a subject
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. capital — a city

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