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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. last — final
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pass — a permit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pop — soda
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. last — finally
  16. bat — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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