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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. present — a gift
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — help
  8. bass — low music
  9. present — the time now
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. present — there
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chair — a leader

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