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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. clip — for paper
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bass — the fish
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — wild animals
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — size or range
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. object — to protest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — to cut
  20. scale — in music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bear — the animal

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