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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — a container
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — farmland
  15. craft — a skill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — a subject
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mark — a trace

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