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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. last — to go on
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — for sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. last — finally
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — final
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — farmland
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — of law
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — an injury

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