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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fall — the season
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — a line

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