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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. game — a match
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — a path
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — the amount
  18. track — a song
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bass — the fish

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