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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — a permit
  4. row — a line
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — money
  9. can — to be able to
  10. object — a thing
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. lean — thin
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — to protest
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mark — a trace
  22. object — an aim
  23. lean — to bend
  24. capital — a city

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