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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pass — to succeed

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