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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stand — to bear
  3. chest — a box
  4. mug — a face
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ground — crushed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. file — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — a position
  19. roll — a list
  20. file — a document
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. plane — an aircraft

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