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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. present — the time now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. present — there
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rash — a series
  13. present — a gift
  14. rash — hasty
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — to bend
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pass — to spend time

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