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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. content — happy
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. present — the time now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cap — a lid
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. present — a gift
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. present — there
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. content — the amount

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