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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pass — a permit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — a subject
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — employees
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. field — for sport
  15. swing — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rule — government

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