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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — low music
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mark — to pay attention

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