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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rest — a break
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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