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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bass — low music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cue — a signal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — help
  24. bass — the instrument

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