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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: nail · cell · pass · foot · charge · cold · present · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bass — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. present — a gift
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. foot — a measure
  22. charge — in control
  23. present — the time now
  24. nail — for a hammer

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