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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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 — to succeed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pop — music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — a permit
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. can — a tin
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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