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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — a series
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. net — after costs
  8. snap — to click
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — to bend
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bound — certain
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lean — thin
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bound — obliged

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