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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pass — a permit
  3. land — a country
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — to come down
  8. present — a gift
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mark — a trace
  12. present — there
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bass — low music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. present — the time now
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cold — not warm
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cold — the Cold War

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