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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mark — a trace
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. band — a ring
  5. scale — in music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — a grade
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — the season
  17. charge — a price
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. band — a music group
  20. charge — electricity
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pass — a permit
  24. scale — for weighing

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