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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. season — in sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — of the year
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fall — the season
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — to drop

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