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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. file — a document
  3. club — for golf
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — to be able to
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — a group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. mine — for digging
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. roll — a cake

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