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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — child
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — low music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. file — a tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. row — a line
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pit — a hole

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