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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pass — a permit
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pop — music
  8. game — a match
  9. pop — soda
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. club — for golf
  14. swing — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mine — for digging
  18. club — a group
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stock — goods
  21. swing — to play on
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — belonging to me

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