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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. net — for catching
  5. lean — thin
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — after costs
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. net — in sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mine — an explosive

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