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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cell — a phone
  4. club — a group
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — for digging
  9. kick — in football
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — in biology
  13. scale — in music
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — for golf
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rest — what's left
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — a break
  24. scale — size or range

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