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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. file — a document
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — completely
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bass — low music
  24. dip — to sink

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