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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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. clip — for paper
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. shower — rain
  6. scale — size or range
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — in music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. board — to get on
  13. march — music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — the month
  23. board — a committee
  24. pass — to spend time

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