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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bass — low music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. swing — in golf
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — of ice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. shower — rain
  24. nail — on a finger

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