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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. present — a gift
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — in music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — the time now
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — for sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. present — there
  24. racket — for tennis

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