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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. content — happy
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pass — a permit
  11. content — the amount
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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