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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: stand · suit · cold · pass · race · kick · squash · hand

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. race — humankind
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stand — to bear
  8. suit — to fit
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cold — not warm
  12. suit — clothes
  13. kick — in football
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. race — a contest
  21. cold — an illness
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kick — a thrill

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