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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — a match
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — clothes
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — part of the head
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mate — to breed
  17. suit — in cards
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — a break

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