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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pop — soda
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pop — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kick — in football
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pop — to visit

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