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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. suit — clothes
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. shower — to wash
  8. degree — an amount
  9. shower — rain
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cell — in biology

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