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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 124 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — completely
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bass — the fish
  24. calf — a young animal

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