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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 120 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 water is too ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pass — a permit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stand — to bear
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — music
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cold — an illness
  20. land — to come down
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. suit — to fit
  24. march — the month

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