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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — thin
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. capital — a city
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — a sauce

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