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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. present — a gift
  6. firm — decided
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. firm — a company
  18. pitch — completely

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