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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bass — low music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wave — of the sea

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