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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pass — a permit
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. board — a committee
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — magic
  14. board — to get on
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a ring
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — letters
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a music group
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — the month

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