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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — farmland
  4. shower — to wash
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. can — to be able to
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — for sport
  15. shower — rain
  16. pass — a permit
  17. can — a tin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — music
  21. field — a subject
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. safe — a strongbox

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