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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — employees
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — to come down
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — a leader
  12. land — a country
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. land — ground
  15. swing — to play on
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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