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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pop — music
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pit — in a race
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pass — a permit
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pop — soda
  24. pitch — a sports field

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