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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — a grade
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spell — magic
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — to push
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rock — music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. spell — letters

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