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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: hand · scale · present · pass · bat · spring · dip · cell

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bat — the animal
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. hand — in cards
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. present — there
  13. spring — a coil
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — in music
  17. present — a gift
  18. spring — the season
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. hand — help

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