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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: pass · cell · squash · tube · lean · firm · stick · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. firm — steady
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — a container
  14. firm — a company
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cell — in biology
  22. firm — decided
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — in an idiom

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