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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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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: lean · pass · net · chest · stand · drill · mug · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stand — to bear
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — a box
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mug — to rob
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. net — after costs
  14. mug — a face
  15. lean — thin
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. net — for catching
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stand — for spectators

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