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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bear — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a document
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pit — in a race
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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