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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spell — magic
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mug — a cup
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to succeed

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