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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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