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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lean — to bend
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — a box
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. degree — temperature
  15. face — part of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. chest — of your body
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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