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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. net — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — after costs
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. current — electric

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