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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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Word bank
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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rock — a stone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. deal — a big deal

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