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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rock — music
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tube — a container
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rock — to move gently

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