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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stand — to bear
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. season — of the year
  10. drill — a practice
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. degree — an amount
  15. drill — army training
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. foot — a measure
  20. degree — from a university
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. season — in 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