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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bass — the fish
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ground — a position
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. firm — a company
  10. club — a group
  11. firm — steady
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — crushed
  19. shower — rain
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. club — for golf

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