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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. net — after costs
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. key — for a lock
  11. net — in sport
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. season — in sport
  14. pass — a permit
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bass — low music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — for catching
  21. ground — a position
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. season — of the year
  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