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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spell — magic
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. capital — a city
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bank — of a river
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. clip — a video
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — letters
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. capital — money
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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