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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: club · straw · pop · roll · last · pass · deal · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — to go on
  13. club — a group
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. roll — a list
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. club — for golf
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pop — music
  23. last — final
  24. deal — an agreement

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