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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: season · staff · hand · spell · board · cell · pass · bass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. hand — help
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spell — letters
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. board — a committee
  18. spell — magic
  19. staff — a stick
  20. board — to get on
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spell — a short time

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