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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cap — of ice
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — a box
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spell — magic
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — letters
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bank — of a river

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