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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bass — low music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. drill — army training
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the fish
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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