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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pass — a permit
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. roll — a list
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — help
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. roll — a cake
  17. scale — in music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. perch — for a bird
  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