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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. club — for golf
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — a group
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pass — a permit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wax — to grow
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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