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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — of the year
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — low music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. vault — a safe
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. club — a group
  14. date — the fruit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — in sport
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. snap — to click

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