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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. race — a contest
  3. net — in sport
  4. present — there
  5. swing — to play on
  6. race — humankind
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — the arms race
  12. swing — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. present — a gift
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. present — the time now
  22. net — for catching
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pass — to succeed

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