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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — a grade
  17. staff — employees
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — completely
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pass — to spend time

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