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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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 — on your feet
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fine — all right
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hand — help
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — letters
  23. fine — a penalty
  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