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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fall — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. present — the time now
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. snap — to click
  14. root — of a word
  15. present — there
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. charge — in control
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. root — the cause
  20. charge — electricity
  21. field — farmland
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. charge — a price
  24. present — a gift

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