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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rock — a stone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — a position
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. game — wild animals
  10. file — a tool
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bound — certain
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rock — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cold — an illness
  24. game — a kind of play

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