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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rock — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ground — a position
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. chair — to sit on

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