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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. march — the month
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. band — a music group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. band — a ring
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mine — for digging
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mine — belonging to me

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