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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 124 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. kid — to tease
  3. toast — bread
  4. hand — help
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kid — child
  10. degree — temperature
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. degree — from a university
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. band — a ring
  22. row — a line
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. rock — to move gently

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