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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pass — a permit
  5. object — an aim
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. club — for golf
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mark — a grade
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — to confront
  15. club — for dancing
  16. object — to protest
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. face — part of the head
  20. club — a group
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cold — not warm

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