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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bank — of a river
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — for money
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ground — a position
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bank — for money
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. drill — army training
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mark — a trace

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