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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bass — low music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. swing — music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. dip — to sink
  15. swing — in golf
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. drill — army training
  18. snap — to click
  19. bass — the fish
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. drill — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. dip — to dunk

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