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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — shares
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — goods
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cell — in biology

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