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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · chair · straw · pass · face · object · bass · current

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. object — to protest
  5. pass — a permit
  6. march — music
  7. current — of water
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bass — the fish
  15. object — an aim
  16. current — electric
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. object — a thing
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. chair — a leader
  24. straw — a straw man

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