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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. object — a thing
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — there
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. object — to protest
  12. bound — certain
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. land — ground
  17. present — the time now
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — a gift
  22. object — an aim
  23. land — to come down
  24. stand — for spectators

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