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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a face
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. charge — a price
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chest — a box
  12. drill — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a song
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lean — thin
  22. charge — in control
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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