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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bass — low music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — there
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. can — a tin
  13. present — a gift
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. can — to be able to
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. present — the time now
  23. tear — to rip
  24. perch — the fish

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