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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bank — for money
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bass — low music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bass — the fish
  19. field — farmland
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cell — in biology
  23. field — for sport
  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