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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rule — a law
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — government

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