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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rule — a law
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cold — not warm
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rule — government
  10. cold — an illness
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — thin
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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