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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — music
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — final
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — soda
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — to go on
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — thin

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