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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. current — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ground — a position
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cold — not warm
  8. current — electric
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pass — a permit
  15. current — happening now
  16. bass — low music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. present — a gift
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. present — the time now
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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