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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a ring
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the fish
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. scale — for weighing

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