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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — a series
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — help
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rock — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rash — on the skin

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