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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 120 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tube — a container
  3. season — in sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — electric
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. season — of the year
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — of law
  21. lean — to bend
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — thin
  24. ball — a great time

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