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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. field — for sport
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — to bear
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitch — completely
  9. firm — decided
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. field — farmland
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cold — an illness
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — a company
  22. field — a subject
  23. firm — steady
  24. cue — a hint

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