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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. suit — to fit
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — in sport
  8. file — a tool
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. suit — clothes
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. suit — in cards
  24. file — a line of people

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