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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.

Make a worksheet

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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. season — in sport
  3. firm — a company
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. firm — steady
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. season — of the year
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. firm — decided
  17. game — a match
  18. bass — the instrument

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