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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bass — low music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. kick — in football
  11. bound — obliged
  12. last — to go on
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. last — finally
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — certain
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mine — for digging

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