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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — music
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — a division
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pop — soda

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