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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. roll — a cake
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bore — to tire
  20. roll — a list
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. tube — the underground

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