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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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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: last · bat · mine · suit · pop · pass · deal · key

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. bat — the animal
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. deal — to handle
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. key — in music
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — to go on
  18. pop — to visit
  19. last — final
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. suit — to fit
  23. key — for a lock
  24. deal — a big deal

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