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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — to bear
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — a list
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chest — a box
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stand — for spectators

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