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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — after costs
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kid — child
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — in sport
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pop — music
  16. net — for catching
  17. pop — soda
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — to tease
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pass — to spend time

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