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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rash — hasty
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. present — the time now
  7. stand — to bear
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. present — a gift
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — dry grass

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