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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — in music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. charge — a price
  6. field — for sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — a subject
  10. charge — in control
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rock — music
  13. field — farmland
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. charge — electricity
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — to bear
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of a tree

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