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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rule — government
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rule — a law
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ball — a great time
  15. row — a line
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wound — an injury
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bank — for money
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a hole

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