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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stand — to bear
  3. chest — a box
  4. field — farmland
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. snap — to click
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mug — a face
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chest — of your body

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