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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pound — a weight
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pass — a permit
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — moving air
  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