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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. last — finally
  7. spring — of water
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. last — to go on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bass — low music
  16. charge — in control
  17. spring — the season
  18. lie — to recline
  19. last — final
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — a price
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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