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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — to go on
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. board — a committee
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cell — in biology
  10. last — final
  11. file — a document
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — finally
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cell — a phone
  19. file — a tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pass — to succeed

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