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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 124 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — low music
  3. dip — to sink
  4. field — farmland
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. drill — army training
  24. fall — the season

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