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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. suit — clothes
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — low music
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. season — in sport

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