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

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. object — a thing
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. object — an aim
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stand — to bear

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