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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a document
  9. land — to come down
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — ground
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. present — a gift
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. present — there
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bass — low music
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a tool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. present — the time now

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