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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — a series
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — a container
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. tube — the underground
  24. deal — an agreement

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