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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. vault — a safe
  3. march — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — low music

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