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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bound — certain
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. drill — army training
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ball — a dance

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