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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. club — for golf
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rock — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stem — to come from
  19. club — a group
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bass — low music

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