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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — humankind
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cold — an illness
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — a contest
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. race — the arms race
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cold — not warm
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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