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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 is in your ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — for sport
  3. swing — music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — of a king
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. scale — in music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. court — of law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — to spend time

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