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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitch — completely
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hand — help
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. present — a gift
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — rain
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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