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

Word bank: cell · pass · stick · content · chair · wound · bass · safe

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. content — the amount
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — low music
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — to sit on

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