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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. club — for dancing
  10. band — a music group
  11. club — for golf
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. club — a group
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bat — in an idiom

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