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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. game — a match
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — to rob
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mug — a face
  10. march — the month
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. bass — low music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the instrument

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