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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — a face
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. march — music
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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