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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mug — to rob
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the fish
  7. vault — a safe
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — a face
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bass — low music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a hat

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