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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bass — low music
  5. fine — all right
  6. track — a path
  7. rule — government
  8. root — of a word
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. track — a song
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bass — the fish
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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