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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pop — soda
  13. file — a document
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. last — finally
  24. bat — for baseball

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