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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — help
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tube — a container
  9. mug — a face
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — the underground
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. squash — to crush
  15. suit — clothes
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. suit — in cards
  18. face — to point toward
  19. suit — to fit
  20. face — to confront
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mug — to rob

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