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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 · stand · fork · foot · mark · racket · cue · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. present — a gift
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. present — there
  19. fork — in a road
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cue — for pool
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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