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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rest — a break
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spell — magic
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rest — what's left
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. hand — help
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spell — a short time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — what's left
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mine — for digging
  24. calf — of the leg

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