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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. suit — to fit
  5. object — a thing
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. suit — in cards
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — after costs
  21. object — an aim
  22. suit — clothes
  23. object — to protest
  24. nail — for a hammer

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