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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — low music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. charge — a price
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. charge — electricity
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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