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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stand — to bear
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chest — a box
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. staff — employees
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cap — of ice
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. lie — to recline

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