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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 ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — farmland
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chest — a box
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — for sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chest — of your body
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cell — in biology

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