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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. firm — steady
  5. spell — magic
  6. pass — a permit
  7. firm — a company
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — a short time
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — completely

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