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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · wind · object · stand · pit · kid · can · cap

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — to tease
  4. object — a thing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cap — of ice
  9. object — to protest
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — a hat
  13. can — a tin
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cap — a lid
  20. can — a tin
  21. object — an aim
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. kid — child

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