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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tube — the underground
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tube — a container
  5. bound — certain
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pitch — completely
  10. row — a line
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — a series
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. row — a quarrel
  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