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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rash — a series
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — in a race
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spell — letters
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pit — a hole
  22. clip — a video
  23. spell — magic
  24. rash — on the skin

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