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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — money
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. foot — a measure
  20. capital — a city
  21. file — a tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fall — to drop

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