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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — thin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rule — a law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rule — government
  20. cold — an illness
  21. root — the cause
  22. lean — to bend
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pass — a permit

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