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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — a series
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — all right
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — in music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pass — a permit
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fine — high quality

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