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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. clip — to cut
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. clip — a video
  18. cell — a phone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — a series
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — hasty

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