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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — low music
  5. craft — boats
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. craft — a skill
  12. roll — a list
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. can — to be able to
  15. roll — a cake
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. can — a tin
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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