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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — certain
  7. bass — the fish
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. net — after costs
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — in sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pop — music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. branch — a division
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pop — soda
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — tied together

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