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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. face — to confront
  7. court — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chair — a leader
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bound — tied together
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pass — a permit
  17. court — of law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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