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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fork — in a road
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pass — to succeed

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