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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — a box
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — of a plant

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