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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. prune — to trim
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. content — the amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. court — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pass — a permit

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