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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — an aim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. row — a line
  10. object — a thing
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pass — a permit
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. root — of a word
  23. row — to paddle
  24. object — to protest

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