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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tube — a container
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pit — a hole
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stand — to bear

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