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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — child
  5. row — a line
  6. kid — to tease
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — letters
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — rain
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. vault — a safe
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. hand — in cards

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