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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bass — the fish
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mug — a cup
  10. scale — in music
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a path
  13. rock — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — low music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fine — all right
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a document
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mug — a face
  23. file — a tool
  24. fine — high quality

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