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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — steady
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — low music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. band — a music group
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pop — to visit
  12. firm — a company
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — for sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. firm — decided
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — soda
  22. cue — a hint
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pop — music

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