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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. degree — from a university
  10. game — a match
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. degree — an amount
  17. craft — boats
  18. shower — to wash
  19. degree — temperature
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — wild animals
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stand — for spectators

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