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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 120 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 do anything ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. staff — employees
  11. pass — a permit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. field — farmland
  16. net — in sport
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — a subject
  24. rash — on the skin

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