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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. club — a group
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bass — the fish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — the season
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spring — of water
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bass — low music
  20. club — for golf
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — to sink
  24. club — for dancing

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