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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cap — a hat
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mug — a face
  16. game — a match
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — wild animals
  23. swing — music
  24. march — music

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