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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — the animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — to keep track
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. track — a song
  16. content — happy
  17. capital — money
  18. content — the amount
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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