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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. object — to protest
  4. kick — in football
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cap — a lid
  9. object — a thing
  10. cap — a hat
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. field — a subject
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — farmland
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. object — an aim
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — in a prison
  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