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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mug — to rob
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mug — a face
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bowl — a football final

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