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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. tube — a container
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. staff — a stick
  9. race — a contest
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the fish
  17. race — humankind
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rest — what's left

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