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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. stock — goods
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rest — a break
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — a container
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cold — an illness
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tube — the underground

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