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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stand — to bear
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. saw — the tool

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