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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. chest — a box
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chair — a leader
  5. present — the time now
  6. chip — for betting
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — after costs
  10. present — a gift
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. present — there
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pass — a permit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. net — in sport
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. net — for catching

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