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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pop — music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. nail — for a hammer

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