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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. clip — to cut
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to click
  7. clip — a video
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tube — a container
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spell — magic
  14. clip — for paper
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — a match
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — letters
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. game — wild animals

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