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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. fork — in a road
  3. land — to come down
  4. lie — to recline
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — the fish
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — a country

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