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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. present — there
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — for digging
  12. suit — clothes
  13. game — a match
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — the season
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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