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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spring — of water
  3. cap — a hat
  4. object — to protest
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. object — a thing
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cap — a lid
  16. object — an aim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — the season
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pass — a permit

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