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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. band — a music group
  3. can — to be able to
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mate — a friend
  7. can — a tin
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a ring
  23. perch — the fish
  24. date — on the calendar

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