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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. squash — the sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — a subject
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — farmland
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bass — the fish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — for sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — to come down
  24. racket — a loud noise

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