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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pit — in a race
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a ring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a music group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. court — of a king
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chest — a box
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. court — of law
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a leader

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