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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 116 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. club — a group
  3. rule — a law
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — government
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — for golf
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rush — hurry
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. dip — to sink
  23. straw — dry grass
  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