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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 124 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — rain
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lean — thin
  10. bass — low music
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — all right
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mine — an explosive

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