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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. row — a line
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lie — to recline

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