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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tube — the underground
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. scale — in music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rock — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rest — a break
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tube — a container
  19. scale — size or range
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. drill — the tool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tube — in a tire

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