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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · capital · pass · straw · pit · degree · pop · face

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. game — a match
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. capital — a city
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pop — music
  13. pit — in a race
  14. degree — an amount
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pop — soda
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. degree — temperature
  19. face — to confront
  20. capital — money
  21. pop — to visit
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. degree — from a university

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