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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. club — for golf
  13. craft — boats
  14. file — a line of people
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. club — a group
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a document
  21. degree — from a university
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. degree — temperature

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