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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: temple · roll · pop · bass · shower · snap · pass · content

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bass — low music
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pop — to visit
  9. snap — to click
  10. shower — to wash
  11. content — the amount
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. content — happy
  14. bass — the fish
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — soda
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. shower — rain
  23. roll — a list
  24. pass — a permit

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