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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. field — farmland
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — a committee
  11. field — a subject
  12. mug — a face
  13. toast — bread
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — to get on
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mug — to rob
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pass — to spend time

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