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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. plane — a tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — low music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rock — a stone
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — music
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — the season
  23. march — the month
  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