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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cue — a hint
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — a series
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bass — low music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fine — all right
  21. rash — hasty
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — a video

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