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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. board — a committee
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lie — to recline
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — of water
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bass — the fish
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spring — the season
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — to get on
  24. pass — to spend time

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