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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · pass · spring · racket · bat · bowl · clip · mine

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. clip — a video
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spring — the season
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pass — to spend time

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