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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. land — to come down
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — help
  14. land — ground
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. march — music
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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