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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kid — child
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. content — happy
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. content — the amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pop — soda
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pop — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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