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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. staff — a stick
  10. band — a music group
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — clever
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to click
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — a line
  24. pass — to succeed

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