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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — final
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — to go on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — finally
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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