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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. roll — a cake
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — to crush
  8. court — for sport
  9. file — a tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of a king
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a list
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a document
  20. court — of law
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. content — happy

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