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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — ground
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — a break
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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