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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — soda
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pop — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. board — to get on
  14. rock — music
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pop — to visit
  17. board — a committee
  18. drill — army training
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. drill — a practice

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