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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. land — ground
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — the underground
  7. land — to come down
  8. march — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — a country
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stand — to bear
  20. field — a subject
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. field — farmland
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — certain

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