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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — goods
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — shares
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — ground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — a country
  24. stand — to bear

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