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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kid — child
  3. present — the time now
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lean — thin
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. present — there
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. swing — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mine — an explosive

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