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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — a contest
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — the arms race
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. march — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — the month
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pop — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. race — humankind
  24. content — the amount

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