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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rock — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bass — low music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cue — a hint
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ground — a position
  16. spring — of water
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ground — the earth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ground — crushed
  24. calf — a young animal

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