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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — a subject
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. firm — a company
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — help
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. file — a tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. rock — music
  24. field — for sport

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