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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — a subject
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. staff — a stick
  12. band — a ring
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kick — in football
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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