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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pass — a permit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. net — for catching
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. scale — in music
  13. race — humankind
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mine — for digging
  18. race — a contest
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — after costs
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. safe — a strongbox

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