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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — the season
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — all right
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — the earth
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bass — low music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ground — a position
  19. fall — to drop
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. file — a document
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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