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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. face — to confront
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mug — a face
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rock — a stone
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — 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