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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 116 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. club — a group
  4. season — of the year
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bass — low music
  7. degree — from a university
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ground — a position
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bass — the fish
  18. club — for golf
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — in sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bat — in an idiom

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