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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — to crush

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