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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. march — music
  11. land — a country
  12. shower — rain
  13. march — the month
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — to wash
  17. foot — a measure
  18. land — ground
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. pass — a permit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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