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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a music group
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. band — a ring

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