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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. race — humankind
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bound — obliged
  22. race — a contest
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fine — all right

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