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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bass — the fish
  3. snap — to click
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. object — an aim
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ball — a great time
  19. object — to protest
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mine — belonging to me

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