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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pass — a permit
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — the animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. staff — a stick
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. file — a document
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. file — a tool

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