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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — of water
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. can — a tin
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pound — a weight
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — the animal

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