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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — the sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. present — there
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. present — a gift

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