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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cold — an illness
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mug — a face
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cold — not warm
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chip — to eat
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mug — to rob

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