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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: pass · field · saw · rest · bass · mark · hand · bat

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rest — a break
  6. bass — low music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. field — a subject
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — help
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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