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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.

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: pass · straw · bass · dip · key · hand · board · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bass — low music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. dip — to sink
  8. key — in music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bass — the fish
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. key — for a lock
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hand — help
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. key — the most important part
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cell — in biology
  24. board — a committee

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