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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — a law
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rule — government
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — a phone

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