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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. content — happy
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — final
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — the amount
  20. pass — a permit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wake — before a funeral

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