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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. net — in sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — rain
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — for catching
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bowl — a football final

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