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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in biology
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rush — hurry
  24. game — wild animals

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