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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — in music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — of the year
  10. bass — low music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kid — child
  20. hand — in cards
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. charge — a price
  24. season — in sport

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