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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. file — a tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pop — to visit
  7. board — to get on
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — a committee
  14. pass — a permit
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a document
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — the animal

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