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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rest — a break
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. club — for dancing
  10. game — a match
  11. club — a group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bass — low music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bass — the fish
  23. club — for golf
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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