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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pitch — completely
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rule — a law
  5. land — a country
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rule — government
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. present — there
  19. land — ground
  20. present — a gift
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. land — to come down
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — a hole

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