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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. club — for golf
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bass — low music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. club — a group
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chest — of your body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — a match
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — wild animals

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