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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bass — low music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — in music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pop — soda
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — clever

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