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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. court — of law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bear — the animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. current — electric
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — of water
  19. last — finally
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — final
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rash — a series
  24. tear — from crying

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