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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mark — a trace
  8. drill — army training
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cold — an illness
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. drill — a practice
  14. scale — in music
  15. stand — to bear
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. drill — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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