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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — all right
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ball — a dance
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. snap — to click
  24. pass — a permit

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