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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. stand — to bear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cold — not warm
  18. firm — steady
  19. cold — an illness
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stand — on your feet

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