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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: bat · fan · straw · scale · ground · wake · mug · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. scale — in music
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. wake — a trail
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mug — a face
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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