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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. degree — an amount
  4. present — there
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rest — a break
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rest — what's left
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — in sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. season — of the year
  20. clip — a video
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bass — low music

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