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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. firm — a company
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. land — to come down
  5. swing — to play on
  6. firm — decided
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. swing — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. land — ground
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. stock — shares
  20. swing — in golf
  21. clip — for paper
  22. land — a country
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. track — a path

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