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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — for golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. content — the amount
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. content — happy
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — a group
  20. fall — the season
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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