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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fine — all right
  3. bass — low music
  4. firm — a company
  5. season — of the year
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. firm — steady
  11. fine — high quality
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — to tease
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kid — child
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — the fish
  22. firm — decided
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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