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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spell — letters
  4. tube — a container
  5. mark — a grade
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spring — of water
  12. scale — in music
  13. march — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pass — a permit
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bass — low music

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