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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pass — a permit
  5. last — finally
  6. track — a path
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. land — a country
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — ground
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. last — final
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pound — a weight
  16. track — to keep track
  17. branch — a division
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. land — to come down
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pound — for dogs

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