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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fine — all right
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — low music
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. roll — a cake

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