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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — soda
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cap — a hat
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bass — low music
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — to come down
  24. pass — to spend time

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