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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a tool
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pit — a hole
  5. march — the month
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. tear — from crying
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bass — low music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. court — of law
  22. march — the month
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pass — to succeed

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