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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. net — after costs
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — a permit
  8. land — ground
  9. roll — a cake
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. roll — a list
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — for catching
  24. land — a country

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