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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — humankind
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pop — to visit
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pop — soda
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a cake
  16. net — in sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. roll — a list
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — a contest
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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