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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.

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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fine — high quality
  10. shower — rain
  11. fine — all right
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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