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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — final
  20. kid — child
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — a line
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. stand — for spectators

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