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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. present — a gift
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. board — a committee
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. present — the time now
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. present — there
  18. board — to get on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cue — for pool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cell — in biology

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