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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. tube — a container
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cell — in biology

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