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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — a phone
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. staff — employees
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — farmland
  19. staff — a stick
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — to bear
  24. field — a subject

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