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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. charge — a price
  8. march — music
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. charge — in control

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