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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: cell · plane · bound · bass · roll · pass · hide · net

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. roll — a list
  4. bound — certain
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cell — in biology
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — a phone
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. hide — animal skin

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