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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — a box
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — the time now
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. present — there

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