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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: ball · bat · toast · pass · lean · cap · wound · chair

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pass — a permit
  5. toast — bread
  6. cap — of ice
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chair — a leader
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lean — thin
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bat — the animal
  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