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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — to crush
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rock — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. net — in sport
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. track — a path
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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