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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — the amount
  7. ground — crushed
  8. content — happy
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mate — to breed
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ground — a position
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. march — the month

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