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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bank — for money
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bank — of a river
  10. last — final
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — for catching
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — after costs

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