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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. content — the amount
  4. roll — a cake
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — a list
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bass — low music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. march — music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cold — not warm
  24. content — happy

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