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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of law
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. court — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. lean — thin
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cold — not warm
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cold — an illness
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — a permit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — music

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