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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: rest · hide · stick · chair · lean · pass · season · field

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — for sport
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — in sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — a break
  23. field — a subject
  24. pass — to spend time

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