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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — in music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cell — a phone
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to click
  13. pass — a permit
  14. club — for golf
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — a group
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. track — a song
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — size or range
  23. track — a path
  24. club — for dancing

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