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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 116 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: squash · stand · file · cold · pass · stick · track · hide

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — to bear
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — not warm
  11. track — a path
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — a permit
  19. track — a song
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. file — a document
  22. squash — to crush
  23. file — a line of people
  24. hide — to keep secret

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