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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — there
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pop — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — soda
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pop — to visit

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