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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. present — the time now
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — to come down
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — ground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. present — a gift
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — a subject
  24. present — there

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