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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. face — part of the head
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — a grade
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. key — in music
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. face — to confront
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pass — a permit
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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