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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — after costs
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wake — a trail
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kick — in football

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