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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. net — after costs
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. net — in sport
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — a series
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pass — a permit
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. net — for catching
  23. fine — all right
  24. ruler — for measuring

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