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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — government
  14. cap — a hat
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — a law
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. last — finally
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — final
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pitch — a sports field

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