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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: cap · stand · hand · pass · fine · bat · tear · track

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fine — all right
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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