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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. craft — boats
  5. chair — a leader
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. race — humankind
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pass — a permit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pit — in a race
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — help
  22. race — a contest
  23. pit — a hole
  24. dip — to sink

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