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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spell — magic
  11. chest — a box
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spell — a short time
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — soda
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pop — music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spell — letters
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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