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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. file — a line of people
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — a committee
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pass — a permit
  24. coach — a trainer

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