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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bore — to tire
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — for sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — in music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — a leader
  21. court — of law
  22. face — to confront
  23. court — of a king
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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