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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — in a race
  4. drill — a practice
  5. present — a gift
  6. spell — magic
  7. drill — army training
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — of ice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. chest — a box
  24. pit — a hole

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