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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mark — a grade
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kick — in football
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ground — crushed

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