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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mug — a face
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bass — low music
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — a match
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — a permit

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