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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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Word bank
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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — a gift
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — to bear
  10. present — there
  11. staff — employees
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pass — a permit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. staff — employees
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cold — an illness
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. present — the time now
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fine — all right

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