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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pop — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. band — a ring
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a music group
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — of a word
  14. bass — low music
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pop — soda
  20. chest — a box
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. root — the cause
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the fish

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