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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cap — a lid
  16. perch — the fish
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. plane — a tool

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