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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. suit — to fit
  12. shower — rain
  13. mark — a grade
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — to wash
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. suit — clothes
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — in an idiom

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