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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. march — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cue — a signal
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cue — for pool
  18. clip — a video
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — a permit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. net — after costs

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