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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fine — all right
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fine — high quality
  12. snap — to click
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bass — low music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kid — child

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