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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. capital — money
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — a city
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — hurry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — a position
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. game — a match
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. perch — the fish

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