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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pop — soda
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. file — a tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a document
  17. pop — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spring — the season
  24. cabinet — ministers

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