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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stand — to bear
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — a permit
  12. current — of water
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. current — electric
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — happening now

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