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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. kid — child
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stand — to bear
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. march — the month
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — a permit
  24. toast — bread

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