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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rock — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ground — a position
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rock — a stone
  22. last — finally
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rash — on the skin

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