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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chest — a box
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chest — of your body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kick — in football
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bass — the fish
  23. drill — army training
  24. kick — with a leg

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