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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rock — music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bass — low music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. face — to confront
  10. degree — temperature
  11. craft — a skill
  12. swing — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. craft — boats
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — high quality
  17. swing — in golf
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — from a university
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. face — to point toward

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