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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — after costs
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. scale — in music
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bank — for money
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — in sport
  17. toast — bread
  18. last — final
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. net — for catching
  24. pass — to spend time

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