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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. content — happy
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. race — a contest
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pass — a permit
  14. race — humankind
  15. bat — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. branch — a division
  18. mug — a cup
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. branch — of a tree

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