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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. last — final
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rock — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — finally
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. drill — army training
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — for baseball

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