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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lie — to recline
  3. swing — music
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — of a river
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bank — for money
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a match
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — in sport
  19. pass — a permit
  20. net — for catching
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lie — an untruth

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