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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 120 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: bat · row · foot · charge · land · prune · pass · clip

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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. bat — in an idiom
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. charge — a price
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — to paddle
  10. clip — for paper
  11. land — ground
  12. foot — a measure
  13. row — a line
  14. pass — a permit
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. charge — electricity
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. charge — in control
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. clip — to cut

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