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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pass — a permit
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. field — a subject
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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