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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bass — low music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — in sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. pass — a permit
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. swing — in golf
  9. net — after costs
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spell — magic
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. swing — music
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. swing — to play on
  24. net — for catching

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