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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fine — all right
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pass — a permit
  7. hand — help
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. plane — a tool
  14. snap — to click
  15. fine — high quality
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fine — a penalty

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