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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 124 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: swing · roll · stand · field · bay · lie · arm · pit

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. roll — a cake
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pit — a hole
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — to bear
  16. field — for sport
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — a subject
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. roll — a list

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