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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — low music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — the season
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rock — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. present — a gift
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. present — there
  24. bass — the fish

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