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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. land — a country
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bass — the fish
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. land — ground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. scale — in music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. land — to come down
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fork — in a road
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — of the year

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