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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — child
  9. saw — the tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — in control
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to confront
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. charge — a price
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. charge — electricity
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kid — to tease

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