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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. field — a subject
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — farmland
  16. kick — in football
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. kick — with a leg

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