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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. toast — bread
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — to rob
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. land — a country
  14. mug — a face
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mug — a cup
  19. land — ground
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fall — the season
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. key — in music

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