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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — a break
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. content — happy
  11. court — of law
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — the amount
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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