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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. clip — for paper
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. clip — a video
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. content — the amount
  20. ball — a dance
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — to bear
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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