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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.

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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.

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: cold · bass · season · craft · hide · pass · spell · swing

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pass — a permit
  9. swing — in golf
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bass — low music
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. swing — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. spell — letters
  23. season — of the year
  24. cold — the Cold War

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