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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — a signal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — all right
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. chest — a box
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. root — of a word
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — the cause
  23. firm — decided
  24. fine — a penalty

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