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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tube — a container
  3. pop — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — to handle
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — the underground

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