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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. season — of the year
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pass — a permit
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a match
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hand — help

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