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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tear — to rip
  3. charge — in control
  4. ball — a great time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to click
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — a price
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bear — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pound — a weight

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