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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 124 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rush — hurry
  3. capital — money
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. present — the time now
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wax — to grow
  8. present — there
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chest — a box
  15. capital — a city
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stand — to bear
  24. present — a gift

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