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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kid — child
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bear — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — final
  17. pit — a hole
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. last — to go on
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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