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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rest — a break
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. rock — music
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. race — the arms race
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. race — humankind
  22. kick — in football
  23. stand — to bear
  24. present — there

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