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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. content — happy
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — the fish
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. content — the amount

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