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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — the cause
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. march — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. march — the month
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — for digging
  16. root — of a word
  17. last — to go on
  18. hand — help
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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