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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 120 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: mark · straw · game · stand · board · tear · last · pass

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. board — a committee
  4. game — a match
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. board — to get on
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — finally
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. last — to go on
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — final

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