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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 120 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: cap · bass · field · game · pass · stock · coach · pop

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a match
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cap — of ice
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — goods
  21. pass — a permit
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pop — music

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