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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — all right
  13. shower — rain
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — the season
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cabinet — ministers

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