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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bear — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — to recline
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — on your feet

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