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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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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: last · pass · leaves · kid · stand · deal · swing · bore

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pass — a permit
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. kid — to tease
  24. deal — to handle

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