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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — a position
  4. bass — the fish
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. land — ground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — boats
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ground — crushed
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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