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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — the sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — of law
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pound — a weight
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. prune — to trim

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