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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a music group
  5. kid — to tease
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pass — a permit
  9. kid — child
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — in sport
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. net — after costs

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