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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. net — for catching
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. net — in sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mug — a cup
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — after costs
  14. charge — in control
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. game — a match
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. band — a ring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — a face
  24. bass — the instrument

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