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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. stand — to bear
  2. land — a country
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rest — a break
  5. land — ground
  6. chest — a box
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chest — of your body
  12. firm — decided
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — of your body
  17. firm — a company
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. firm — steady
  23. land — to come down
  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