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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fall — the season
  3. present — there
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. present — a gift
  8. kid — to tease
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. present — the time now
  11. kid — child
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure

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