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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: face · bore · cell · stand · pit · straw · cap · firm

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. firm — steady
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bore — to drill
  8. firm — decided
  9. pit — a hole
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bore — to tire
  20. firm — a company
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cell — in biology

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