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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. band — a ring
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — a permit
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. staff — a stick
  9. branch — a division
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. field — farmland

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