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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rash — a series
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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