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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. field — for sport
  8. roll — a cake
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — a subject
  14. tear — to rip
  15. roll — a list
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. file — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a document
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. field — farmland

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