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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mug — a cup
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. land — to come down
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. land — ground
  8. dip — to sink
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cold — an illness
  13. land — a country
  14. mug — a face
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cold — not warm
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. dip — a sauce

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