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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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 — to bear
  2. land — a country
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — certain
  5. rest — a break
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. object — a thing
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rest — what's left
  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