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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · drill · hand · chair · mug · stick · clip · bass

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bass — low music
  6. mug — a face
  7. hand — in cards
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. clip — a video
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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