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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — a gift
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tube — the underground
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. present — there
  12. mug — a cup
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tube — a container
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — of ice

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