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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rest — a break
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fine — all right
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — in football
  21. ground — a position
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kick — with a leg

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