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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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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: toast · bass · club · drill · cell · field · press · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. drill — army training
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bass — low music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — farmland
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. press — a publisher
  14. toast — bread
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. field — for sport
  21. cell — in biology
  22. field — a subject
  23. club — a group
  24. bass — the fish

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