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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · chair · ground · race · pass · mate · pitcher · bound

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — obliged
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — certain
  10. ground — a position
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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