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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rash — a series
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tube — a container
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rash — hasty

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