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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — a position
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a tool
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pass — to spend 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