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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — to go on
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — a face
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. last — finally
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mug — to rob
  13. march — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. last — final
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — to succeed

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