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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 124 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — a line
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — letters
  9. can — a tin
  10. pass — a permit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — to be able to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. present — the time now
  19. row — to paddle
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — magic

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