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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chair — a leader
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. land — ground
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bank — of a river
  8. key — in music
  9. land — a country
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — in a race
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bank — for money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. land — to come down
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bank — for money
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mug — a face

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