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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stem — to come from
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — for catching
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stem — a stem cell

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