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

Word bank: stick · pit · mate · foot · rash · roll · pass · straw

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rash — a series
  8. roll — a list
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mate — to breed
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pit — a hole
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pit — in a race

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