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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fine — all right
  5. cell — in biology
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — a price
  13. rock — music
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — in control
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. charge — electricity

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