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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — a series
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — hasty
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. band — a ring
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a music group
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — a gift
  24. scale — in 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