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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — in a road
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — a permit
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. capital — money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — a video
  22. tear — to rip
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. clip — to cut

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