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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — for sport
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — the season
  14. field — a subject
  15. pass — a permit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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