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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: mine · pit · present · pass · bass · fan · board · net

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. present — a gift
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — in sport
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. present — there
  9. pit — a hole
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. net — after costs
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — the time now
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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