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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bound — tied together
  6. foot — a measure
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — certain
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chair — to sit on

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