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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pass — a permit
  10. band — a ring
  11. rest — a break
  12. ground — a position
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a music group
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. perch — the fish
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. game — wild animals

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