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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. game — a match
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tube — the underground
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. tube — a container
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lie — to recline
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. club — a group

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