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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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 — to turn a key
  4. mug — a cup
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mug — a face
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — from a university
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rush — hurry
  23. swing — music
  24. degree — an amount

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