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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bass — low music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spring — of water
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — the season
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — help
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spring — a coil
  24. branch — of a bank

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