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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. last — to go on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. file — a tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — an aim
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. object — to protest
  13. file — a line of people
  14. field — a subject
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. field — farmland
  18. object — a thing
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. file — a document
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — for sport
  24. last — finally

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