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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pop — soda
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. season — in sport
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rock — music
  21. pop — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. branch — of a bank

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