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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bass — low music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stock — goods
  7. bore — to tire
  8. swing — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. drill — a practice
  15. swing — in golf
  16. drill — army training
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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