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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. land — ground
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — a country
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pass — a permit
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — low music
  12. pop — music
  13. firm — decided
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pop — soda
  19. firm — a company
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pop — to visit
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ball — a round shape

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