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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. current — happening now
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. current — electric
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. current — of water
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. squash — to crush
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pass — to spend time

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