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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bark — to shout

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