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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. file — a document
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. file — a tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — the underground
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stand — to bear
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pass — a permit
  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