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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. land — ground
  3. cell — a phone
  4. land — to come down
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. bat — the animal
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — a country
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rash — a series
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rest — a break
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bat — for baseball

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