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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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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: snap · coach · present · bass · field · chest · saw · pass

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. present — there
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. pass — a permit
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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