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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. file — a tool
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — a gift
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a line of people
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stem — to come from
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. present — the time now
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stand — to bear
  24. staff — employees

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