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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bass — low music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. track — a path
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bat — for baseball

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