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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fall — the season
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — help
  24. mouse — the animal

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