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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: cold · drill · hide · pass · charge · bass · cap · wound

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — the fish
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. charge — in control
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. drill — army training
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — a price
  24. cold — an illness

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