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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bound — certain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pass — a permit
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — a signal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wake — a trail
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cue — for pool
  24. patient — a sick person

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