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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chest — a box
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. swing — music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. current — electric
  16. cold — not warm
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chest — of your body
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pass — to spend time

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