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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. snap — to click
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bass — low music
  24. rock — to move gently

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