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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bank — for money
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bank — for money
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bank — of a river
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chair — to sit on

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