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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — a series
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — a song
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — hasty
  10. track — a path
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. toast — bread
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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