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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pop — music
  4. net — after costs
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pop — to visit
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cap — a lid

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