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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. snap — to click
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pound — a weight
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stand — to bear
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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