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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cue — a hint
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — low music
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — a city
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — money
  24. drill — army training

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