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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pass — a permit
  5. field — farmland
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. march — music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rule — a law
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. march — the month
  17. field — for sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — government
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rush — hurry

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