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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 120 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: current · root · season · bass · pass · game · present · bat

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. season — in sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — the animal
  6. current — electric
  7. present — there
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. game — wild animals
  10. current — of water
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bass — the fish
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — the cause
  16. present — a gift
  17. season — of the year
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — low music
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — happening now
  24. pass — to spend 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