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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cold — not warm
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lean — thin
  8. current — electric
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pass — a permit
  11. row — a line
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. row — to paddle
  15. current — of water
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — an illness
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cold — the Cold War

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