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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pass — a permit
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bound — certain
  8. foot — a measure
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pop — soda
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — tied together
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a match
  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