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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a document
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spring — of water
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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