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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · pass · chair · roll · capital · wind

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wind — moving air
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pass — a permit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — a city
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — money
  18. chair — to sit on

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