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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — the season
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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