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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — the month
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tear — from crying
  13. march — music
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. tear — to rip

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