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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: bass · cabinet · net · pass · board · pop · lean · foot

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — a committee
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — thin
  8. pop — soda
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. net — after costs
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — for catching
  13. board — to get on
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pass — a permit
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pop — music
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bass — the fish
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pass — to succeed

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