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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. stand — to bear
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — soda
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lean — thin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rule — government
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — a match
  23. lean — to rest against
  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