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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — money
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mark — a grade
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. capital — a city
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air

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