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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. face — to confront
  19. kid — child
  20. shower — rain
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pass — to succeed

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