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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bank — of a river
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lean — thin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bank — for money
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ball — a dance

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