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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bat — the animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pop — music
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — help
  11. staff — a stick
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — in an idiom

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