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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — a position
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — rain
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pass — a permit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — of the year
  24. fine — all right

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