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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: pass · sharp · roll · rash · bear · bat · squash · land

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pass — a permit
  3. squash — the sport
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — the animal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bear — the animal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — to come down
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bat — for baseball

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