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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 120 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. firm — a company
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — decided
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rock — music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — steady
  16. rock — a stone
  17. snap — to click
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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