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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. season — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. band — a music group
  6. race — humankind
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — all right
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — a contest
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — of the year
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. can — to be able to
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — the arms race
  24. season — to add flavour

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