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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — music
  9. cell — in biology
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. swing — in golf
  14. shower — rain
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. swing — to play on
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — music
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cell — a phone
  24. can — to be able to

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