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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — a song
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spring — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bass — low music
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. track — a path
  24. rule — a law

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