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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
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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: cold · pit · pass · pop · bass · temple · field · staff

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pit — a hole
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. field — for sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pit — in a race
  17. field — a subject
  18. pop — soda
  19. bass — low music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — to visit

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