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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. hand — help
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bass — low music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. bass — the fish
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — to cool the air

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