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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bass — the fish
  5. race — a contest
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. bass — low music
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pop — soda
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — in sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. scale — in music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — the fruit

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