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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. present — a gift
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spell — a short time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. club — a group
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. present — there
  18. club — for dancing
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. club — for golf

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