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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. face — to confront
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pound — a weight
  11. net — after costs
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. deal — to handle
  17. net — in sport
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bark — to shout
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — for catching
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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