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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pass — a permit
  7. roll — a list
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. field — for sport
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — a subject
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pop — soda
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pop — music
  22. bank — of a river
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — farmland

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