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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: patient · stand · fall · chair · mark · tear · pit · fine

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fall — the season

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