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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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 — low music
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tear — to rip
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — a leader
  23. drill — army training
  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