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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 124 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cap — a lid
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fan — a supporter

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