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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. season — of the year
  4. bore — to drill
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. net — in sport
  10. content — happy
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — for catching
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — after costs
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. content — the amount
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — for dogs

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