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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — wild animals
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bass — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. track — a song
  19. game — a match
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a path
  24. bat — 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