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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.

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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — to come down
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — of the year
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. land — a country
  14. bass — low music
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rock — a stone

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