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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. roll — a list
  4. lean — thin
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. content — the amount
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lean — to bend
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cell — in biology
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cell — a phone
  22. content — happy
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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