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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bass — low music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the fish

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