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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lean — thin
  4. pass — a permit
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — size or range
  8. last — finally
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rule — government
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rule — a law
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — final
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — to go on
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — low music
  24. cell — a phone

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