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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — the fish
  4. field — farmland
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. swing — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. swing — in golf
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. field — for sport
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bass — low music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rock — a stone

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