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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — ground
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pound — a weight
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the fish
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — to crush
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. land — a country
  21. fine — all right
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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