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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — a hat
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — thin
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — moving air

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