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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pass — a permit
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. file — a document
  6. rest — what's left
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. present — a gift
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. present — there
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — a break

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