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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rule — government
  8. board — a committee
  9. pit — in a race
  10. board — to get on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kick — in football
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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