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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — decided
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — a company
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. season — of the year
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. firm — steady
  24. season — in sport

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