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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bass — the fish
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rush — hurry
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — music
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bass — low music

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