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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. spell — magic
  3. drill — army training
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pop — music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. date — the fruit
  12. drill — a practice
  13. content — happy
  14. fine — all right
  15. pop — soda
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — the amount
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spell — a short 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