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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — wild animals
  4. board — a committee
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. row — a line
  9. game — a match
  10. tear — from crying
  11. row — to paddle
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bank — of a river
  15. track — a song
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. track — a path
  24. bank — for money

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