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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — to go on
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. last — final
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bulb — for light
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pass — to spend time

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