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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cell — in biology
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ball — a great time
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — a committee
  12. can — a tin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — low music
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. board — to get on
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — for sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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