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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — of a king
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — a permit
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. court — for sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — farmland
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. field — for sport

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