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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 · bat · rock · bear · jam · kick · cold · hand

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hand — help
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cold — not warm
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — music

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