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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 · pit · rock · ball · last · lie · mug · game

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — wild animals
  4. last — finally
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. game — a match
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mug — a cup
  13. last — to go on
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lie — to recline
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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