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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. firm — a company
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cold — not warm
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mark — a grade
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cold — an illness

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