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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bass — low music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. board — a committee
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — a container
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bat — the animal

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