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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: pass · mouse · arm · bay · cold · straw · stand · file

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. file — a tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cold — not warm
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. file — a document
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. cold — an illness

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