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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. sharp — clever
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. drill — army training
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. drill — the tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — to roll

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