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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cap — a hat
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. shower — rain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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