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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. current — electric
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pass — a permit
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — army training
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mate — to breed
  17. current — happening now
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. current — of water
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mark — a grade

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