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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — a country
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bank — for money
  15. pass — a permit
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bank — for money
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — to come down
  24. saw — the tool

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