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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ground — the earth
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. key — in music
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rush — hurry
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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