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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — the month
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. march — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pass — a permit
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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