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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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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: mine · rock · ground · stand · game · pass · fall · last

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ground — a position
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fall — the season
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ground — crushed
  12. last — finally
  13. game — a match
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. last — final
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — a permit

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