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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — low music
  8. season — in sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. craft — a skill
  15. season — of the year
  16. craft — boats
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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