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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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — ground
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. land — a country
  13. pass — a permit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — happy
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. land — to come down
  22. net — in sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. net — for catching

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