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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. field — farmland
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. field — a subject
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. swing — music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. field — for sport

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