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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — of a king
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. court — of law
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pass — a permit
  24. court — for sport

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