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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. game — a match
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — low music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. hand — help
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. foot — a measure
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — a tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — wild animals
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bass — the fish
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. perch — the fish
  24. hand — part of the body

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