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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lean — to bend
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lean — thin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bass — low music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. land — a country

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