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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. shower — rain
  3. present — there
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. last — to go on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — in music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pit — a hole
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — finally
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — final
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pit — in a race
  24. shower — to wash

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