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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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468
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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. band — a music group
  24. pass — to spend time

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