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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — a city
  5. season — of the year
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. capital — money
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fork — in a road

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