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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — the amount
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — happy
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cell — a phone
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. file — a tool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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