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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: rash · suit · wind · mate · stand · game · pass · mine

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. game — a match
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rash — a series
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rash — on the skin

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