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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — government
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — a law
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — on your feet

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