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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. bank — for money
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bank — for money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ground — the earth
  7. swing — to play on
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. ground — crushed
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pass — a permit
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. swing — in golf
  19. last — final
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — music
  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