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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: pass · fall · band · net · snap · toast · staff · stand

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. snap — to click
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. band — a ring
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. net — after costs
  9. stand — to bear
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. toast — bread
  21. net — in sport
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fall — the season
  24. staff — a stick

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