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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — of law
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. court — for sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. court — of a king

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