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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. content — the amount
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. craft — boats
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pound — a weight
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mark — a grade

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