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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rest — a break
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bay — a horse colour

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