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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: staff · kid · bore · net · bass · charge · fan · pass

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. charge — a price
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — low music
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pass — a permit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — after costs
  17. staff — employees
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — in sport
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. charge — in control
  22. kid — child
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bore — to drill

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