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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. root — of a word
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. pass — a permit
  7. root — of a plant
  8. field — a subject
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. root — the cause
  11. field — for sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bass — the instrument

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