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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cue — a signal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — a match
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cue — for pool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cue — a hint

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