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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cap — of ice
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bulb — for light
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — a list
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fine — all right
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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