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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — a permit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. current — happening now
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — a match
  12. stand — to bear
  13. current — of water
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. date — the fruit
  23. current — electric
  24. stand — on your feet

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