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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: ball · pass · bay · wind · leaves · object · pitch · rest

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. object — a thing
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. object — to protest
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. object — an aim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rest — a break
  24. pass — a permit

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