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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. field — farmland
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. field — a subject
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — for sport
  18. mug — a cup
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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