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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. date — the fruit
  5. content — happy
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bank — for money
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — the amount
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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