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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stand — to bear
  3. field — a subject
  4. present — the time now
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. field — for sport
  7. present — there
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. present — a gift
  22. cold — not warm
  23. field — farmland
  24. stand — on your feet

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