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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pass — a permit
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. land — to come down
  5. suit — to fit
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bat — the animal

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