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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rock — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. race — humankind
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — a stone
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cold — an illness

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