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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bass — low music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. scale — in music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bulb — for light
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. band — a ring
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. band — a music group
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. row — a line
  23. shower — to wash
  24. row — to paddle

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