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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. scale — size or range
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tube — a container
  20. perch — the fish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — to play on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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