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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. can — a tin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. toast — bread
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. can — a tin
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pop — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. cell — in biology
  16. present — there
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cell — a phone
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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