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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — letters
  8. field — farmland
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spell — magic
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mug — a face
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — a subject
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — on your feet

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