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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 120 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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. swing — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. scale — size or range
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a music group
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — help
  21. tear — from crying
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. swing — in golf

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