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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — low music
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pit — in a race
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fan — a supporter

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