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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. land — a country
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spring — of water
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. land — ground
  10. last — final
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. last — to go on
  13. stand — to bear
  14. last — finally
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. spring — the season

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