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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — in music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. sharp — clever
  8. scale — size or range
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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