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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — magic
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. spell — letters
  11. charge — a price
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tear — to rip
  17. charge — electricity
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — a short time
  20. charge — in control
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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