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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.

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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bass — the fish
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chip — to eat
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lean — thin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bass — low music

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