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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. season — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — a stone
  14. season — of the year
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the vegetable

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