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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rule — government
  8. file — a document
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rock — a stone
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a tool
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rock — music
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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