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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  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