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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bat — for baseball

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