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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — farmland
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. firm — decided
  12. field — for sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — an illness
  22. field — a subject
  23. firm — a company
  24. stand — for spectators

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