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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bass — low music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — the tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. swing — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to click
  17. bulb — for light
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. shower — to wash

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