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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — electricity
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. charge — a price
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. charge — in control
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bass — low music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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