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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 116 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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. file — a document
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — a tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. race — humankind
  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