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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. content — the amount
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. content — happy
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. shower — rain
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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