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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — a position
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — letters
  10. cap — of ice
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — clever
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a lid
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ground — the earth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — with an edge

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