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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. object — to protest
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. spell — a short time
  6. object — a thing
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — magic
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. season — in sport
  14. object — an aim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spell — letters
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cold — not warm

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