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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: mouse · field · capital · snap · pass · deal · stand · wind

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. field — a subject
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. field — farmland
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. snap — to click
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. capital — a city
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. field — for sport
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wind — moving air

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