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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. suit — clothes
  7. game — a match
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mark — a grade
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. suit — to fit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ball — a great time
  24. suit — in cards

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