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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — for golf
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — in football
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. ground — a position
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — to go on
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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