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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pop — music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kid — child
  9. march — the month
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pop — to visit
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kid — to tease
  20. march — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pop — soda

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