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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 116 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — the fish
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cold — an illness
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bass — low music
  18. fine — all right
  19. scale — size or range
  20. squash — to crush
  21. dip — to sink
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — in music
  24. dip — to dunk

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