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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pass — a permit
  5. toast — bread
  6. last — finally
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. scale — in music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to click
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — final
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wound — an injury

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