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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · sharp · wind · ruler · land · bass · pass · kid

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — to tease
  3. suit — to fit
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pass — a permit
  7. land — to come down
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — ground
  16. kid — child
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — a country
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bass — low music
  22. suit — in cards
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. suit — clothes

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