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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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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. present — there
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. present — a gift
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bass — low music
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pound — a weight
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. file — a document
  16. bass — the fish
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — to handle

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