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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bass — low music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bear — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — the fish
  14. club — a group
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. snap — to click
  20. file — a tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. file — a document
  23. cap — a lid
  24. club — for golf

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