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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bound — certain
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — tied together
  5. can — a tin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. key — in music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ground — crushed
  13. shower — to wash
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pass — a permit
  16. can — to be able to
  17. ground — the earth
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. key — the most important part
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — rain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — a series

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