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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fine — all right
  6. pop — soda
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — high quality
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bass — the fish
  14. capital — money
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — a big letter

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