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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mark — a trace
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. present — there
  6. mark — a grade
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — to play on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — rain
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pop — music
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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