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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — of law
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. court — of a king
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. object — an aim
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — low music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chair — a leader

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