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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. row — a line
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitch — completely
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pit — in a race
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cap — of ice
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — clever
  21. game — a match
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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