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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bat — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — to breed
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. plane — a tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pass — a permit
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. capital — a city
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — music

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