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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. clip — for paper
  12. field — for sport
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pop — soda
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rush — hurry
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. clip — to cut

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