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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — low music
  13. band — a ring
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. face — to confront
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pass — a permit
  24. face — part of the head

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