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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. clip — a video
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bass — low music
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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