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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mug — a face
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — a box
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stand — to bear

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