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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · firm · track · foot · stand · rule · trunk · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. firm — a company
  7. stand — to bear
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rule — government
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. saw — the tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rule — a law
  24. firm — decided

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