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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. present — the time now
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. game — wild animals
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. squash — to crush

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