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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — a song
  8. fall — to drop
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. drill — army training
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a path
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fall — the season
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — to spend time

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