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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. drill — army training
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spring — the season
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wake — a trail
  14. scale — in music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. drill — the tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spring — of water
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pop — soda
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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