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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pop — to visit
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — a permit
  11. race — a contest
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. track — a song
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bass — the fish
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — a path
  19. saw — the tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pop — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — the arms race

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