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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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Word bank
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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: chair · hand · last · pop · calf · pass · bore · bass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — final
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — to go on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hand — part of the body

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