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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. pass — a permit
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chest — of your body
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. face — to confront
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. shower — rain
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rush — hurry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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